The castle doors were open. Pinky had expected traps. Guards. Monsters. Something. But the entrance stood wide, torches flickering along the walls, a red carpet stretching into the darkness beyond.
He gripped his sword and stepped inside.
Lyriel followed close behind, her healing staff clutched to her chest. Her eyes darted everywhere, searching for danger.
"This is wrong," she whispered. "Where are the guards? Where are the monsters?"
Pinky had no answer.
They walked through empty corridors. Past dark chambers. Up winding staircases. The silence was oppressive, broken only by their footsteps echoing off stone walls.
Then they saw them.
Demon maids. Lined along the walls of a massive hallway, standing perfectly still. They wore black uniforms with white aprons. Their eyes followed Pinky as he passed, but they made no move to stop him.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Lyriel's voice cracked.
Pinky didn't know. He kept walking.
The hallway opened into a throne room.
Pinky stopped.
The Demon Queen sat on her throne, one leg crossed over the other. In one hand, she held a bowl of ice cream. In the other, a romance novel. Her large horns curved elegantly from her head. Her demon tail swayed lazily behind her.
She was beautiful. Inhumanly so. And she looked absolutely bored.
This was not what Pinky had expected. Not even close.
But a mission was a mission.
He charged.
His sword cut through the air, aimed at her neck. A killing blow. Everything he had learned from Izak, everything he had practiced for years, condensed into one perfect strike.
The Queen didn't even look up from her book.
She raised one finger. Just one. The tip of her finger met the blade.
Pinky's sword stopped dead.
He pushed harder. Put his entire body behind the strike. His arms trembled. His muscles screamed.
The blade didn't move.
The Queen turned a page in her novel.
Pinky stumbled backward, horror flooding through him. This was wrong. This was impossible. He was the strongest knight of his generation. His attack should have at least made her flinch.
Now he understood.
Now he knew why no one came back.
***
He attacked again.
Different angle this time. Faster. More precise. A technique Izak had shown him years ago, designed to break through any defense.
The Queen sighed.
She set down her ice cream and stood from her throne, stepping aside as his blade passed inches from her face.
"How annoying," she said.
Her hand moved.
Pinky didn't see it. One moment he was mid-swing. The next, something hit him in the chest with the force of a mountain. He flew backward, crashing into a pillar twenty feet away.
His vision went white. Then black. Then nothing.
***
He woke up outside the castle.
Evening light filtered through the trees. Birds sang somewhere in the distance. Everything was peaceful. Quiet.
Wrong.
"Husband!"
Lyriel's face appeared above him, streaked with tears. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close.
"You're awake! I was so worried! You were out for hours! I thought you were dead!"
Pinky tried to move. Pain exploded through his body. His ribs. His spine. His everything.
He looked down. Bandages covered his torso. His armor had been removed. His mask was still on.
He tried to stand.
"No!" Lyriel pushed him back down. "You need to rest! Your injuries are serious! The only reason you're alive is because I healed you for hours!"
Pinky ignored her. He reached for his sword.
"Stop! You can't fight her! She's too strong! One flick and she almost killed you! Please, husband, we need to leave!"
He shook his head.
The mission. He had to complete the mission.
But his body wouldn't cooperate. The moment he tried to stand, his legs gave out. He collapsed back onto the bedroll Lyriel had prepared.
He had no choice but to rest.
***